Ski boot

ABSTRACT

A ski boot wherein at both sides of the upper section bounding the sole there bear impact or abutment plates secured to the sole, which impact plates can be adjusted with regard to their spacing from one another.

United States Patent [1 1 Gertsch et al.

|4s| May 28, 1974 SKI BOOT Inventors: Ernst Gertsch, Wengen; Ulrich Gertsch, lnterlaken, both of Switzerland Assignee: Gertsch AG, lnterlaken, Switzerland Filed: Apr. 9, 1973 Appl. No.: 349,465

Foreign Application Priority Data Apr. 17, 1972 Great Britain 17567/72 US. Cl. 36/2.5 AL Int. Cl A43b 00/00 Field of Search 36/2.5 R, 2.5 AL

[56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 3,408,754 ll/l968 Kueter 36/25 AL 3,538,627 11/1970 Labat-Camy 36/25 AL 3,636,642 1/1972 Walther 36/25 AL Primary Examiner-Patrick D. Lawson Attorney, Agent, or FirmWerner W. Kleeman [57] ABSTRACT A ski boot wherein at both sides of the upper section bounding the sole there bear impact or abutment plates secured to the sole, which impact plates can be adjusted with regard to their spacing from one another.

6 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures SK] BOOT The present invention relates to a new and improved construction of ski boot.

Although modern day ski boots provide, during skiing, a very good support of the foot and the ankle joint region of the skier, still they are associated with the common feature that they tend to possess an extremely great weight. This considerable weight of such modern day ski boots is attributable to the fact that they strive to provide good support for the foot, because heretofore it was assumed that only a very stiff, and therefore heavy, upper could really afford such good support. Hence, in more recent times there have become in creasingly known to the art the so-called shell ski boots", which are completely or for the most part fabricated from reinforced plastic. This material enables fabricating boots having exceedingly rigid or stiff uppers.

For accommodating the internal compartment of such stiff uppers to the anatomical shape of the foot, namely to the width and the length thereof, there previously was employed padding, for instance in the form of soft, cushioned inner boots or a foamed cushion or padding formed of a foamable material. Furthermore, and especially in the case of very high ski boots, the uppers were designed from a number of components and the individual upper components were hingedly connected with one another in order to provide for the lower ankle region of the skier a certain amount of mobility, even if it was limited, with regard to the foot. It should be readily apparent that these expedients, namely the use of padding and the multi-component construction of the upper, can only increase the overall weight of the boot, and the prior developments in this particular field appear to still be moving in this direction, so that they tend to progress more and more away from providing ski boots with uppers which are pliable, light, and comfortable to wear.

It has been demonstrated that as the height of the stiff or rigid uppers increases, the region of the lower leg which is particularly susceptible to fracture is increasingly removed from the ankle portion, so that during a fall of the skier there can be extensively prevented ankle bone fractures when wearing such boots. On the other hand, it has been found that even where the ski boot is sufficiently padded, when such employs multicomponent, rigid and high uppers, the feared fracture ofthe lower leg at the region of the height of the upper edge of the upper, that is to say, at the point where the lower leg departs from the boot, cannot be completely avoided.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Hence, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a new and improved construction of ski boot affording satisfactory support during skiing for the skier in the primary skiing directions, without having to employ an extremely stiff or rigid upper.

It is another significant object of the present invention to provide an improved construction of ski boot I providing good support forthe skier while being safer to wear.

Yet a further significant object of the present invention relates to an improved ski boot incorporating a pliable, light and comfortable to wear ski boot upper.

Now in order to implement these and still further objects of the invention, which will become more readily apparent as the description proceeds, the ski boot of the invention is manifested by the features that there are provided impact or abutment plates secured to the sole of the ski boot and which bear at both sides against 0 the section of the upper bounding the sole, and these impact or abutment plates can be adjusted with regard to their spacing from one another. The impact plates also can be elevationally adjustable with regard to the ski boot sole. It is particularly advantageous if the impact plates are detachably secured at the region of the tip and at the region of the heel of the ski boot sole. In fact, the ski boot can even be equipped with a flexible sole which, as soon as the impact plates are attached to the ski boot, are reinforced by such impact plates in a manner that there is insured for their flat bearing against the support or standing surface of the binding.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Describing now the drawing, the exemplary illustrated embodiment of ski boot l0 depicted in FIGS. I and 2 will be understood to comprise a sole II and an upper 12. At the region of the tip of the ski boot there is embedded in the sole 1] a continuous threaded sleeve member 12 equipped with internal threading 13a, sleeve number 13 extending transversely with respect to the lengthwise direction of the'ski boot 10. Also at the region of the heel of the ski boot there is likewise embedded in the sole 1] a threaded sleeve member 14 provided with internal threading, generally indicated at 140, this sleeve member 14 extending essentially parallel to the threaded sleeve member 13. In the illustrated embodiment of ski boot, the latter constitutes the boot for the right foot and at the one inner side thereof there is threaded thereata horizontally extending arm 15' provided with external threading 15a of an angle piece or angle member 15, whereas at the other outer end of the threaded sleeve member 13 there is threaded the horizontally extending arm 16, also provided with external threading 16a, of an angle piece or angle member 16. Also at the inner endof the rear threaded sleeve member 14, there is threaded a horizontally extending arm 17' of an angle piece or angle member 17, the arm member 17 similarly having external threading. A further angle member or angle piece, which is not visible in the drawing, is threaded into the outer end of the rear threaded sleeve member 14.

The vertically upwardly protruding arms and 17" of the angle members 15 and 17 respectively, andwhich arms 15" and 17" are likewise provided with external threading 15b and 17!) respectively, engage with play into bores 26 and 27 respectively. These bores are formed at the front and rear ends respectively of an impact or abutment plate 24 which almost bridges or spans the entire length of the sole 11. Both at the front and as well as at the rear end of the impact or abutment plate 24, there is formed therein a respective slot 21 and 22, which extends through the course of the bores 26 and 27, and serves for receiving an associated adjustment nut member 18 and 19 respectively, which in turn, are threadably connected to the vertically upstanding arms 15" and 17" respectively. As a result, it will be recognized that the impact or abutment plate 24 is detachably, yet however for a certain setting of the adjustment nut members 18 and 19 and for a given thread-in depth of the angle members 15 and 17 into the sole 11, is rigidly connected with such sole of the boot 10 and therefore contributes decisively to reinforcing such sole 11.

The same is also true for the outer angle members, wherein it will be recognized by referring to FIG. 1, that the vertically upstanding arm 16" of the angle member or angle piece 16 engages with play into a bore 28 which is formed at the front end of an external impact or abutment plate 25. The course of the bore 28 is pierced by a slot 23 formed at the front end of the impact or abutment plate 25, and this slot 23 serves to receive an adjustment or setting nut member which, in turn, is threaded onto the arm 16".

As will be apparent from the showing of FIG. 1, the surfaces 24' and 25 of the impact or abutment plates 24 and 25 respectively, and which confront the upper 12, are essentially configured to possess the external shape of the upper 12, so that such impact plates bear in a flat manner at the upper. On the other hand, the outer surfaces 24" and 25" of the impact plates 24 and 25 respectively, and which outer surfaces face away from the upper 12, are essentially designed to be flat or planar and parallel to one another.

From what has been discussed above, it should be easily recognized that the exemplary embodiment of ski boot can be equipped with a very pliable, comfortable and light-weight upper which is gently encompassed at both sides by the impact or abutment plates 24 and 25 which can be compared to a certain extent to the jaws of a vise or clamp. The inner width between the impact plates 24 and 25 can be accommodated over a relatively large range to the shape of the upper deformed by the foot of the user, and such impact or abutment plates impart the required lateral support to the foot of the user during skiing, in the same manner as if the upper were completely formed of a rigid or stiff material. If the boot is used for walking over longer distances. then by'carrying out a few simple manipulations itis possible to release the impact or abutment plates 24 and 25, so, that there comes fully into play the flexibility or pliability of the upper and, where appropriate, that of the sole of the boot. Since finally, and as discussed above, the upper 12 of the illustrated ski boot can be designed to be very pliable, there isalso extensively overcome the danger that during a fall the lower leg portion ofthe foot of the user will be fracturedat the point of departure of the lower leg from the upper 12.

formed of reinforced plastic, light metal, plastic-coated metal or from a suitable weather-resistant material which has sufficient rigidity for the intended purposes, wherein of course the weight thereof decisively contributes to the wearing comfort of the boot.

Further, it is mentioned that the impact plates 24 and 25 not only serve as the actual lateral impacts or stops, but furthermore function as protection for the soft boot 1 upper 12 against damage by the ski edges, hard snow or other obstructions.

A further function can be assumed by the illustrated inner impact plate 24 owing to its configuration. This function resides in the fact that during skiing it serves as a guide rail for the corresponding inner impact plate of the other boot of the pair, and therefore facilitates parallel guiding of the skis, especially when skiing straight downhill or ahead or when skiing traversely across a slope.

Finally, the impact plates themselves can be constructed as angle members which are displaceably mounted in appropriate guides at the tread surface of the sole and secured by means of clamping screws or the like.

While there is shown and described present preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but may be otherwise variously embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims. Accordingly,

What is claimed is l. A ski boot comprising an upper and a sole, impact plates secured to the sole of the ski boot at both sides of the section of the upper bounding the sole, means for adjusting the spacing of the impact plates from one another, and means for adjusting the elevational position of the impact plates with respect to the sole of the ski boot.

2. A ski boot comprising an upper and a sole, impact plates secured to the sole of the ski boot atboth sides of the section of the 'upper bounding the sole, and means for adjusting the spacing of the impact plates from one another, said adjusting means further including means for detachably securing the impact plates at the region of the tip of the ski boot and at the region of the heel of the ski boot.

3. The ski boot as defined in claim 2, wherein the surfaces of the impact plates which bear against the upper of the ski boot are configured in accordance with the external shape of the upper. I

4. The ski boot'as defined in claim 3, wherein the surfaces of the impact plates which face away from the upper extend essentially parallel to one another.

5. The ski boot as defined in claim 2, wherein said securing means incorporates two angle members for attaching each impact plate to the sole, each angle member having an arm provided withthreading, the sole being provided with a threaded bore for each angle member and extending transversely with respect to the lengthwise direction of the boot, the threading of the arm engaging with an associated threaded bore.

6. The ski boot asdefined in claim 5, wherein each angle member possesses another arm having threading and carrying an adjustment nut threaded thereon, each impact plate having a slot member, and wherein the threading of the other arm engages with the slot mem ber of the associated impact plate. A 

1. A ski boot comprising an upper and a sole, impact plates secured to the sole of the ski boot at both sides of the section of the upper bounding the sole, means for adjusting the spacing of the impact plates from one another, and means for adjusting the elevational position of the impact plates with respect to the sole of the ski boot.
 2. A ski boot comprising an upper and a sole, impact plates secured to the sole of the ski boot at both sides of the section of the upper bounding the sole, and means for adjusting the spacing of the impact plates from one another, said adjusting means further including means for detachably securing the impact plates at the region of the tip of the ski boot and at the region of the heel of the ski boot.
 3. The ski boot as defined in claim 2, wherein the surfaces of the impact plates which bear against the upper of the ski boot are configured in accordance with the external shape of the upper.
 4. The ski boot as defined in claim 3, wherein the surfaces of the impact plates which face away from the upper extend essentially parallel to one another.
 5. The ski boot as defined in claim 2, wherein said securing means incorporates two angle members for attaching each impact plate to the sole, each angle member having an arm provided with threading, the sole being provided with a threaded bore for each angle member and extending transversely with respect to the lengthwise direction of the boot, the threading of the arm engaging with an associated threaded bore.
 6. The ski boot as defined in claim 5, wherein each angle member possesses another arm having threading and carrying an adjustment nut threaded thereon, each impact plate having a slot member, and wherein the threading of the other arm engages with the slot member of the associated impact plate. 